FAQ

There are various benefits of this certification. Whether you are a student or a professional, the certification will open up a bundle of opportunities in terms of job/better career prospects. Read more about it here

Ratings are based on relative performance while a certification is based on absolute performance. A high rated user who has good rating points is likely to have a good grasp of the subject. However, low ratings do not truly reflect one's lack of understanding of the subject. We do believe that ratings take time as one has to take part in a series of contests to improve on and get to a point where they reflect one's new prowess (which is more about one's ability to perform in a contest vs others' ability to do so). Whereas a certification offers a shorter time span for assessment of one's skillset. Also, the certification will be in an invigilated environment and hence should have more credibility.

This is an area where we felt we could add value to the users apart from what we are doing online. We believe that this will help more users to take up the subject and be better programmers. And, CodeChef continues to be a not for profit. The money that we make is used up to grow our other initiatives, the most important one being the taking informatics to schools. You can read up about this more on our blog.

Advanced: Programmers who have successfully passed the Advanced level certification after multiple attempts can get cashback for their unsuccessful attempts. For example, if a candidate fails the Advanced test twice, but succeeds on her third attempt, the fee for the first two attempts will be refunded.

Expert: Every candidate who successfully passes the Expert level test will be refunded their fees for every attempt they have undertaken. That is, candidates who succeed after multiple attempts will be refunded the fees paid for every attempt once they pass. Candidates who achieve a pass mark (including those who succeed on their first attempt) will have their cashback transaction initiated within 14 days of taking the test.

Yes. You certainly can and we encourage you to do so. In fact anyone who knows programming can take this up. This certification will go a long way in making your understanding of Data Structures and Algorithms better. Go for it!

Yes. It is and it should be from the above mentioned list. Please note that you have to carry the original identity card along with you when you go for exam. Also, this has to be the same id that you upload while filling up the registration form. If you fail to do so, you will not be allowed to take part in the exam. Also in such cases, no reschedule or refund will be entertained. Note: If you don't have any Government authorised photo identity Contact Us.

You can only reschedule incase if you are unable to attend the exam due to unavoidable reasons. To process your request you must drop an email at ccdsap@codechef.com mentioning the exact reason. As a next step, a voucher to the immediate next available slot will be provided to you by deducting the below mentioned reschedule fee.

Please note: If you were to reschedule then you must do it 4 days before the test, else your test fee will be forfeited and we will not be able to process any requests further.

No. We urge you to be sure about your plans before you book your seat. As per our refund policy, once you have received the seat confirmation, you will not be eligible for refund under any circumstances.

No. We do not provide any training. However, we have curated a bunch of links for reference that will help you in preparing for the exams. You can access the Syllabus, Resources and Mock contest for each of the levels in the Prepare section link

We will always be making provision of backup systems at the centre. You will be given an alternate system to continue the exam. You have to escalate this to the invigilator immediately so that you can be transferred.

No. You cannot carry any type of material (printed or soft copy in the exam). If a candidate is caught possessing any such material, she will be disqualified from the exam. Also she will be barred from taking any certification exams in future.

During Exam

There is a commenting module below each problem. You can ask your problem specific doubts using that. Our team of judges will be looking into your doubts and only if they feel that the doubt needs to be answered, they will do so. It is usually unlikely that the problem statement leaves any room for ambiguity.

This is very unlikely to happen because we take special care in preparing the problems and making sure there should not be anything wrong. Still if you think that there was something wrong with the test data, you can contact us at ccdsap@codechef.com along with the test case for which you think the issue happened and we will look into the matter.

Every problem will have a score. You may get a partial score for partially solving a problem. Your total score will be the sum of scores that you get in each problem. Your total score will have to be more than a passing score to pass the exam. The passing score will be different for each level of exam.

Yes you can do so. However, you cannot take it until 50 days have passed after taking your last exam. We believe that you need time to prepare and get better at it. We strongly suggest that you prepare and practice harder in this duration before giving the exam again. Also, please note that you will have to pay the registration fees again each time you give a reattempt.

However, to encourage you to clear the exam, we are providing a 50% cashback of the registration fees, if you successfully pass in subsequent attempts of the exam. To know more about this in details, you can refer the next question.

Though we encourage that you prepare well before attempting the CCDSAP exam, there are cases when the candidates are still not able to clear it in the first attempt. To offer an aid to them, we are providing a 50% cashback of the registration fees on a successful attempt. This offer is applicable to all the candidates who were unable to clear the exam and wish to take exam at the same level. To avail the offer, you need to send us a request to ccdsap@codechef.com with your bank details, after you have successfully cleared the exam with a subject line "Request for 50% Cashback on CCDSAP exam".

Yes, you can do so. Even though your score is only made available to you, we feel you may choose to improve it to get better. However, you cannot take it until 50 days have passed after taking your last exam.

If a participant is caught cheating during the examination (or does not adhere to the Code of Conduct), the candidate will be disqualified from the exam. Also she will be barred from taking certification exams in future. We also verify the submissions for plagiarism after the contest. Participants whose submissions are found to be similar, will be interrogated.

If CodeChef determines that a candidate has used unethical means or altered the certification report in any way, the candidate will be ineligible to appear for the Certification exams in future and his existing certification(s) will be revoked.

No. You are expected not to discuss the solution / approach or any other information about the problem with anyone else. In case if a participant is found doing so, her certification may be revoked. You are strictly instructed not to share any information about the contest problems on any forum or with friends.

Yes, we have certificate share feature through which you can share your received certificates on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. You also have the option of pasting the shareable url to other platforms. To share your certificate with others, log in to CodeChef and open the link: https://www.codechef.com/certificates Click the share button to choose your desirable social medium.

Yes, you can showcase your CodeChef certificate on your Linkedin profile. To add the certificate, click on the Add profile tab on your Linkedin Edit profile page and go to Accomplishments section. Fill in the details in the form and the certification url along with other mandatory details. You can leave the license number field blank.

To know more about adding certificate to your Linkedin profile you can visit the help link and click on ‘Manage Certifications’.

CodeChef was created as a platform to help programmers make it big in the world of algorithms, computer programming and programming contests. At CodeChef we work hard to revive the geek in you by hosting a programming contest at the start of the month and another smaller programming challenge in the middle of the month. We also aim to have training sessions and discussions related to algorithms, binary search, technicalities like array size and the likes. Apart from providing a platform for programming competitions, CodeChef also has various algorithm tutorials and forum discussions to help those who are new to the world of computer programming.

Try your hand at one of our many practice problems and submit your solution in a language of your choice. Our programming contest judge accepts solutions in over 35+ programming languages. Preparing for coding contests were never this much fun! Receive points, and move up through the CodeChef ranks. Use our practice section to better prepare yourself for the multiple programming challenges that take place through-out the month on CodeChef.

Here is where you can show off your computer programming skills. Take part in our 10 day long monthly coding contest and the shorter format Cook-off coding contest. Put yourself up for recognition and win great prizes. Our programming contests have prizes worth up to INR 20,000 (for Indian Community), $700 (for Global Community) and lots more CodeChef goodies up for grabs.